ideasfandomcom-20200222-history
The Toys R Us Movie/Transcript
This is the transcript for the upcoming 2019 American animated musical comedy adventure family film, The Toys R Us Movie. Part 1: Opening/Charles Lazarus's Origins (Shows Warner Bros. Pictures logo) (Shows Warner Animation Group logo) (Shows RatPac Entertainment logo) (Shows Slimeworks Studios logo) (Shows Toys R Us logo) (Fades to black) Geoffrey (voiceover): Have you ever wondered... what is like... to be a child? Did you ever spend your whole entire childhood playing toys? (The scene fades to a plush toy of the Toys "R" Us founder Charles Lazarus on the black background.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Do you know... a toy store... that was the greatest in the world? Well, we may not know when it will end, but we do know when and where it began. This... is a story... of the world's greatest toy store... named Toys "R" Us. Now, let's go back in time to Washington, D.C. in October 4, 1923. That's where the founder and original owner of Toys "R" Us, Charles Lazarus, was born. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of a young Charles working at his father's bicycle shop.) Geoffrey (voiceover): During his childhood years, he grew up working at his father's bicycle shop on the first floor of the building where they lived. From a young age, Lazarus shadowed his father while he worked in the shop, and as he got older, began helping his father fix bicycles and assist customers. A budding young businessman, Lazarus often thought about ways to expand and grow his father’s business, and dreamed that one day he, too, might operate a store of his own. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of a 19-year-old Charles on a battle during World War 2 in 1942.) Geoffrey (voiceover): But then, World War 2 came. That's when the United States joined the war after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He saw his future during that war as he would listen to his own fellow soldiers, dream about returning home, getting married, and raising a family. His future... was all about children, lots and lots of them. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of a 25-year-old Charles starting and working at his own business, which is a small baby furniture store.) Geoffrey (voiceover): In 1948, after World War 2 ended, he took $5,000, rented out his father's old bicycle shop, and, inspired by his uncle who was in the baby furniture business, opened his own business, a baby furniture store called Children's Bargain Town, also sometimes called Children's Supermart, or sometimes called Children's Bargain Town USA. Yes, Charles turned his dream of creating a child-oriented business into a reality, and yes, he started that store to cater to the post-war baby boom era. Anyways, Lazarus filled his store with cribs and baby furniture and ran it single-handedly, overseeing everything from bookkeeping to delivering merchandise to customers’ homes. (The scene fades to a map of the United States with multiple Children's Bargain Town locations.) Geoffrey (voiceover): They did very well, so much so that they opened up multiple Children's Bargain Town locations with incredibly long and generic names. They were a baby furniture retailer at the best time in the history to be in the baby furniture business. Yep, babies everywhere are going to love being in cribs sold at Children's Bargain Town, but that's not important now. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Charles reviewing requests from people of selling toys.) Geoffrey (voiceover): People didn't just want furniture, especially baby-sized furniture, they started asking for toys. Charles recognized that the customers didn't buy multiple cribs or dressers. Those items were reused by each successive child born to the family, but what they did come back for time and time again were toys. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Charles ordering toys for the store.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Yes, after two years in business and several customer requests, Lazarus featured a select assortment of toys along with the baby furniture. Lazarus learned early on in the toy business that, unlike furniture, toys broke or fell out of fashion with children. This prompted parents to make return visits to the store, which positioned toys as a lucrative commodity. Lazarus always focused on two things: customer desire and how to deliver it. (The scene fades to Charles selling toys at Children's Bargain Town.) Geoffrey (voiceover): As customer demand for toys grew, the store’s merchandise became more varied, and soon included a much broader assortment of playthings. Oh, and by playthings, I mean toys. That's right. Toys! New toys, different toys, toys that change with the seasons, with the culture, and with the advancements in technology. Charles went all-in on toys, positioning the business as the #1... the largest toy seller with prices that no one could compete with, in some cases making only pennies per sale. (The camera zooms out to reveal the exterior view of a Children's Bargain Town store, which is now a Toys "R" Us store.) Geoffrey (voiceover): When you thought of toys, Charles wanted you to think of his stores to associate that purchase with his business. Don't just go anywhere for toys, go to the best toy store, the biggest toy store. We only sell toys, we are just toys, we are toys! (The Toys "R" Us logo appears one by one.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Toys... are... us! (The word "Movie" appears below the Toys "R" Us logo while the word "The" appears at the top of the Toys "R" Us logo, thus forming the film's title. The title then disappears.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Anyways, back to the origins of the toy store. (The scene fades to Children's Bargain Town posters on the wall.) Geoffrey (voiceover): The tagline for Children's Bargain Town, "Toys are us", was used all over their printed marketing materials and even their signage. (The scene cuts to people entering a self-service supermarket and then to a Toys "R" Us store with the self-service concept.) Geoffrey (voiceover): In 1957, as self-service supermarkets, where you pushed your own cart and selected your own goods directly off the shelf, became popular, a new store was open using the self-service concept, and Lazarus, motivated by the success of emerging self-service grocery supermarkets, restructured his business in the late 1950s. Following a supermarket store format enabled Lazarus to stock a broader assortment of products and allowed customers to serve themselves and utilize carts to shop. After this reorganization, Lazarus opened his first store solely dedicated to toys. This new design shop was the first to be called Toys "R" Us with the tagline superseding the original name of the business, which became the new tagline. Toys "R" Us, the children's bargain town. Part 2: The Humble Beginnings for Toys "R" Us/Meet Dr. G. Raffe and Young Geoffrey (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Charles drawing a new logo to make it look like it was written by a child.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Later, a new Toys "R" Us logo was designed with a backwards letter R to make it feel like it was written by a child. Now, let's go into my origins, which are combined with the store's origins. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of a giraffe named Dr. G. Raffe working at the Toys "R" Us store.) Geoffrey (voiceover): This... is an ordinary giraffe named Dr. G. Raffe. He was the original owner of Toys "R" Us along with Charles Lazarus. Not only that, but he was also the original mascot of Toys "R" Us, and in 1960, the artist who created Dr. G. Raffe gave him a complete marketing makeover to become the more familiar giraffe we know today. (The camera pans to a young 7-year-old Geoffrey the Giraffe, who is looking around in the Toys "R" Us store.) Geoffrey (voiceover): And that giraffe... was me. My name is Geoffrey the Giraffe, the current owner and mascot of Toys "R" Us. I used to go to the Toys "R" Us store to see my father working there. Yep, Dr. G. Raffe was my father, and like me and him, giraffes, of course, are nature's most playful animals known for their exotic non-threatening appearance, their friendly demeanor, and the breadth of their superficial pop-culture trivia knowledge. However, unlike my father, I am a much more life-like version of him and one of the Toys "R" Us associates gave me a name "Geoffrey", which my father agreed. (The 7-year-old Geoffrey starts playing giraffe toys. His father, Dr. G. Raffe, sees his son playing toys.) Dr. G. Raffe: Son? Young Geoffrey: Hi, dad. Dr. G. Raffe: I can see you like those toys the store is selling. Do you? Young Geoffrey: Why, yes. Yes, I did. Dr. G. Raffe: Good for you. Son, I was just thinking. You are getting so big, you're... you're practically 7 feet tall. So, how would you like to go to work with me today? Young Geoffrey: Would I? That sounds awesome! Dr. G. Raffe: I know. I said the same thing when my boss Charles Lazarus first took me to the factory inside the Toys "R" Us store. Young Geoffrey: You did? Dr. G. Raffe: Yeah, although I didn't use the word "awesome," but instead, I used a different word as a substitute for "awesome". Young Geoffrey: Oh, really? What is it? (Dr. G. Raffe thinks for a moment.) Dr. G. Raffe: "Wonderful". Young Geoffrey: Oh, wow! I didn't know you used that word as a substitute for "awesome". Dr. G. Raffe: Well, I said to my boss "That sounds wonderful!", and so my boss took me to the factory inside the toy store. Now, it is time that I take you to the toy factory. (Young Geoffrey and his father went inside the elevator. Dr. G. Raffe presses the button as the doors on the elevator close and the elevator went down to the toy factory underneath the Toys "R" Us store building. The doors on the elevator open and when Young Geoffrey and his father went out of the elevator, they ended up inside the toy factory.) Dr. G. Raffe: Go ahead, son. Take a look. (Geoffrey looks at the entire toy factory and was amazed.) Young Geoffrey: Whoa! Look at all those toys. Dr. G. Raffe: Geoffrey, welcome to the Toys "R" Us Factory. This is where we make all the toys the store sells and delivers to the children of the world. It's pretty impressive, isn't it? Young Geoffrey: It's amazing, Dad! Dr. G. Raffe: I'm glad you like it, because someday, this will all be yours. Young Geoffrey: Really? Dr. G. Raffe: Yes, son. Really. Now, come on. There's so much to do, so much to see. So what's wrong with taking the back streets? Young Geoffrey: Uh, Dad, that's for later... in the future. Dr. G. Raffe: Oh! You're right, son. Sorry. Anyways, let's look around. (Young Geoffrey and his father look around in the toy factory. The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Geoffrey being greeted by Toys "R" Us customers.) Geoffrey (voiceover): A few years later, my popularity had grown so much that I frequently made appearances at events and an entire line of Geoffrey-themed products was introduced in Toys "R" Us stores. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Charles working at the Interstate Department Store-owned Toys "R" Us store with Dr. G. Raffe.) Geoffrey (voiceover): In 1966, Charles sold Toys "R" Us to Interstate Department Stores for $7.5 million to finance expansion across the rest of the country. Interstate Department Stores owned several other comparably sized department store chains, things you've never heard of, things that are long gone. Even after the sale to Interstate, Charles Lazarus continued to manage Toys "R" Us as a company under the Interstate umbrella, and just eight years later in 1974, Interstate Department Stores filed for bankruptcy. (The scene cuts to the Interstate Department Stores headquarters building shivering as the company files for bankruptcy.) IDS HQ Building: Oh my! The company is filing for bankruptcy?! This is not good. Geoffrey (voiceover): I know, anyways, back to the store's history. (The scene cuts back to Charles working at the Interstate Department Store-owned Toys "R" Us store with Dr. G. Raffe.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Lazarus himself took over management of all the Interstate Stores, and by 1978, Charles was able to steer Interstate out of bankruptcy with a lot of careful business decisions and investments in people, products, and technology. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Charles Lazarus and Dr. G. Raffe at the new Toys "R" Us Headquarters building.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Newly solvent Lazarus converted the entirety of Interstate into a singular Toys "R" Us corporation and went public trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol T.O.Y., and that spells "toy". Now, let's go back to 1973. (The scene fades to a Toys "R" Us commercial of Geoffrey with hundreds of kids dancing through the streets.) Geoffrey (voiceover): In 1973, I reached celebrity status, starring in my very first Toys "R" Us television commercial, in which I appeared with hundreds of excited kids dancing through the streets. Oh, look! That's me! (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Geoffrey and his family.) Geoffrey (voiceover): As Toys "R" Us continued to grow, so did my family when the company introduced my wife, Gigi, and our son and daughter, Junior and Baby Gee. Each family member had his or her own role to play. (The scene fades to cartoon strips of Gigi and Junior on newspapers and a Toys "R" Us commercial featuring Baby Gee.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Following in my footsteps, Gigi and Junior could be found on weekly cartoon strips that accompanied toy sale announcements, while Baby Gee turned up in advertisements for baby products. (The scene fades to Lazarus, Dr. G. Raffe, Geoffrey, Gigi, Junior, and Baby Gee working at the Toys "R" Us store. Geoffrey sees customers shopping for toys.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Lazarus believed that success meant focusing on the everyday shopper, such as a parent searching for the perfect birthday gift or a child hoping to spend his or her weekly allowance. In the pre-mall, pre-discount store days, specialty retailing and off-price positioning were revolutionary concepts that Lazarus leveraged to his advantage. Through his ingenuity, Lazarus expanded his fledgling business into a toy conglomerate that became a public company with established community roots and a loyal customer base from coast to coast. Now, let's fast forward to the early 1980s. Part 3: Kids "R" Us/Toys "R" Us Continues to Succeed (The scene fades to a Kids "R" Us store.) Geoffrey (voiceover): By that time, Toys "R" Us looked to diversify its portfolio by finding new incentives to attract parents with an extension of the "R" Us brand. The company branched out into children’s clothing when it opened its first Kids "R" Us stores in Paramus, New Jersey and Brooklyn, New York. Yep, Toys "R" Us opened a new chain of stores called Kids "R" Us, which focuses more on children's clothing and home goods, but the chain folded in 2003 after the retailer suffered deteriorating same-store sales and to focus more on the Toys "R" Us brand. The Kids "R" Us stores were never seen or heard from again. However, the company remained committed to the apparel business and continued to sell a wide variety of name-brand designer and private label boys and girls clothing. (The scene fades to a Toys "R" Us store in Canada.) Geoffrey (voiceover): In 1984, in addition to expanding "R" Us stores and brands in the United States, Toys "R" Us launched a worldwide presence when the company opened its first international wholly-owned store in Canada and licensed operation in Singapore. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Lazarus, Geoffrey and his family, and other toy manufacturers at a dinner party in New York City.) Geoffrey (voiceover): With the simple goal of improving the health and well-being of children, Lazarus gathered colleagues and manufacturers in the toy and juvenile products industries for a large-scale benefit dinner in New York City to raise money for charity. Oh, by the way, I was here, too, along with my father, my wife, and my two children. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Geoffrey driving the Geoffreymobile. While driving, he waves hello to everyone that sees, meets, and greets him.) Geoffrey (voiceover): As customers responded favorably to my new family members, they began joining me during my visits to stores, parades and other fun events. In addition, my family could now be seen in advertisements together, as we were depicted living in a New England lighthouse and driving the Geoffreymobile, a double-decker bus fueled by potato chips. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Lazarus being inducted into the Toy Industry Association's Hall of Fame.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Lazarus was inducted into the Toy Industry Association’s Hall of Fame in 1990, for his success in revolutionizing the toy and baby products industries and building Toys "R" Us into one of the most iconic brands in the world. (The scene fades to the map of the world with multiple Toys "R" Us stores inside and outside the United States of America.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Over the next decade, driven by the toy boom of the 80s, they would grow to nearly a thousand locations inside the United States and nearly a thousand more outside the United States. (The scene fades to a Toys "R" Us Children's Fund charity box.) Geoffrey (voiceover): In February 1992, inspired by the large-scale benefit dinner, the Toys "R" Us Children's Fund was created. Over the years, the Toys "R" Us Children's Fund, a public charity, has donated millions of dollars to nonprofit organizations that keep children safe and help them in times of need. (The scene fades to a Toys "R" Us store in Japan.) Geoffrey (voiceover): In July 1992, former President George H.W. Bush traveled to Japan to open the country’s first Toys "R" Us store. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Charles Lazarus retiring and leaving Toys "R" Us where he stepped down as Chairman and CEO of the company.) Geoffrey (voiceover): In 1994, after 46 years with Charles Lazarus piloting the ship, he officially retired and stepped down as Chairman and CEO, but remained an important member of the board as Chairman Emeritus. Today, Toys "R" Us, Inc. continues to embody the same ideals set forth by Lazarus upon establishing the company. (The scene fades to the hand-drawn animated sequence of Charles receiving the Gold Medal Award.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Charles Lazarus received the National Retail Federation’s Gold Medal Award, the industry’s highest honor, presented to outstanding industry leaders who have excelled and broken new ground in the field of retailing. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of a new businessman in the toy industry, Michael Goldstein, entering Toys "R" Us where he becomes the new CEO.) Geoffrey (voiceover): But then, a new businessman in the toy industry, Michael Goldstein, took over as CEO, and that's when the magic started to fade. With Goldstein in charge after Lazarus retired, Toys "R" Us was slowly fading away into the background and was close to being defunct. (The scene fades to a Babies "R" Us store.) Geoffrey (voiceover): But in 1996, due to positive apparel sales, the company added apparel to most of its Toys "R" Us stores across the country and gave birth to a new addition in the "R" Us family, with the launch of its first Babies "R" Us location in Westbury, New York, harkening back to the original reason Charles Lazarus got into the retail business. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Geoffrey going to the Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us websites on the computer.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Recognizing the incredible potential of the Internet, Toys "R" Us launched its own website, Toysrus.com, and it quickly became one of the fastest-growing sites in the toy and baby products shopping categories. Today, Toysrus.com is one of the most visited sites in the specialty toy and baby products retail category, with a vast assortment of toys for kids of all ages. The site also offers exciting exclusives and helpful and distinct services, as well as fantastic deals every day. In addition, Babiesrus.com offers a wide selection of baby products and supplies and a convenient, premier baby registry. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Michael Goldstein being kicked out of the Toys "R" Us building with Robert Nakasone taking over as the CEO.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Finally, after four years of losing market share and lagging stock price, Michael Goldstein resigned and was replaced by Robert Nakasone, who later took over as the CEO of Toys "R" Us. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of the Toys "R" Us building meeting the Imaginarium toy store.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Understanding the nature of evolving merchandise offerings in the retail industry early on, Toys "R" Us, Inc. purchased its first competitor, educational and learning toy business, Imaginarium. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Geoffrey waving goodbye to his father, his wife, and his two children as they moved out of Toys "R" Us for a new life in the wild.) Geoffrey (voiceover): In 1999, I said goodbye to my father, my wife, and my two children as they moved out of the Toys "R" Us company for a fresher and better life in the wild. I went through a significant transformation during these years. Going back to basics, my own family bowed out of the spotlight so that I could personify the nature of true Toys "R" Us customers: kids. My new image as a light-hearted kid also defined my role in marketing the brand. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Geoffrey meeting and greeting the children.) Geoffrey (voiceover): I was no longer a promoter, I became a mascot who represented fun. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Robert Nakasone being kicked out of the Toys "R" Us building.) Geoffrey (voiceover): After CEO Nakasone had spent considerable time energy and resources on an overhaul of the entire company's store design, customer service strategy, vision, and online sales capacity, he was unceremoniously fired due to disagreements with the Board of Directors which was made up of founder Charles Lazarus and a lot of his old partners. (The scene fades to hand-drawn animated sequences of John Eyler joining Toys "R" Us as its new president and CEO, Toys "R" Us signing a partnership deal with Amazon.com, and another Toys "R" Us store in Japan where the company held an IPO there.) Geoffrey (voiceover): In 2000, John Eyler, formerly of FAO Schwarz, was installed by the Board of Directors and joined Toys "R" Us as its new president and CEO, Toys "R" Us signed a partnership deal with Amazon.com, and it even opened a store and held an IPO in Japan. Part 4: Toys "R" Us's Later Years (The scene fades to a Toys "R" Us store at Times Square in New York City.) Geoffrey (voiceover): In 2001, they opened the landmark Time Square location, and in conjunction with its launch, I received my fifth makeover, when I was altered to reflect the spirit of youth in kids of all ages. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Geoffrey the Giraffe looking at his animatronic version.) Geoffrey (voiceover): I was transformed from a cartoon character to a real-life talking giraffe during that time. An animatronic version of myself, which was created by Stan Winston Studios, was voiced by Jim Hanks, brother of actor Tom Hanks. This idea resulted in a more realistic image of me, who later starred in an award-winning commercial in 2002, recognized as “Top Spot of the Year” by Advertising Age magazine. Wow! (The scene fades back to a Toys "R" Us store at Times Square in New York City.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Now, about the Toys "R" Us international flagship store in New York City’s Times Square, it quickly established itself as The Center of the Toy Universe. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of customers riding on the Toys "R" Us Ferris wheel.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Complete with a 60-foot Ferris wheel, a 20-foot animatronic T-Rex dinosaur, a life-size Barbie dollhouse and a New York City skyline constructed entirely of LEGO bricks, Toys "R" Us Times Square became one of the top tourist attractions in the Big Apple for families from around the world. (The scene fades back to a Toys "R" Us store in New York City's Time Square once again. This time, it was permanently closed.) Geoffrey (voiceover): The prestigious Zagat’s U.S. Family Travel Guide rated Toys "R" Us Times Square the top family destination in New York City, until the store closed in December 2015. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Geoffrey the Giraffe reviewing strategies from all Toys "R" Us stores.) Geoffrey (voiceover): In September 2004, Toys "R" Us announced strategic review of all business units within the company. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of an investment group buying Toys "R" Us.) Geoffrey (voiceover): In 2005, positioning the global franchise for the future, Toys "R" Us became a private company in July when an investment group consisting of affiliates of Bain Capital Partners LLC, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., and Vornado Realty Trust completed the acquisition, a leveraged buyout of the entire company for $6.6 billion. Toys "R" Us was once again a private company. (The scene fades to hand-drawn animated sequences of Gerald Storch becoming the new CEO, Toys "R" Us International celebrating its 15th year in Japan, Babies "R" Us celebrating 10 years as the baby authority, Toys "R" Us opening its side-by-side stores in Dallas, Texas; Baytown, Texas; Chester, Minnesota; and Johnson City, Tennessee.) Geoffrey (voiceover): In 2006, Gerald Storch became the new CEO, Toys "R" Us International celebrated its 15th year in Japan, Babies "R" Us celebrated 10 years as the baby authority, Toys "R" Us opened its side-by-side stores in Dallas, Texas; Baytown, Texas; Chester, Minnesota; and Johnson City, Tennessee. (The scene fades to a Toys "R" Us Express store in a mall.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Further assisting time-strapped parents during the holiday shopping season, Toys "R" Us opened Toys "R" Us Express pop-up stores nationwide in malls and other shopping centers, as well as Toys "R" Us Express shops within the company’s Babies "R" Us stores. Through this concept, the company continued to increase its presence in malls and shopping centers during the holiday season, making Toys "R" Us more accessible than ever for busy shoppers. (The scene fades to a Toys "R" Us store with a FAO Schwartz boutique.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Toys "R" Us, Inc. obtained the exclusive right to operate FAO Schwarz, one of the most iconic children’s retailers in the world and a brand synonymous with quality and innovation. Together, Toys "R" Us and FAO Schwarz have delighted kids for a combined history of nearly 20 years. Today, an exclusive line of FAO Schwarz toys and collectibles can be found at Toys "R" Us stores across the country and online at Toysrus.com. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Geoffrey going to the eToys.com and Toys.com websites on the computer.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Looking to broaden its web-based portfolio, Toys "R" Us acquired the highly regarded e-commerce site, eToys.com, and around the same time, the company acquired Toys.com, providing a new way to redirect online customers to its family of e-commerce sites. (The scene fades to a Babies "R" Us store.) Geoffrey (voiceover): In 2009, the company introduced an exclusive line of baby essentials marketed under its trusted Babies "R" Us brand name and easily identified by its distinctive purple and white Babies "R" Us logo, offering parents and gift-givers a wide range of infant and toddler care products for everyday needs at a great value. Since then, it has expanded the Babies "R" Us-branded assortment to include more than 1,600 affordable, high-quality products, such as infant formula, diapers, wipes, laundry detergent and purified water, as well as gear, apparel, bedding, room decor, food and snacks among other must-have items. Let's go back to 2007 again. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Geoffrey the Giraffe with star-shaped spots. Geoffrey waves hello to the audience.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Ah, yes. That's when I was once again redesigned, along with the company’s logo, to communicate the company’s message that “We’re New Again!” At this time, I regained my cartoon-like features and my giraffe spots were replaced with stars to represent the magic of the Toys "R" Us brand. Pretty cool and creative, huh. Now, let's fast forward to 2010, and that's when things started to change. (The scene fades to a Toys "R" Us Outlet store.) Geoffrey (voiceover): With customers responding extremely well to these smaller format stores, the company opened permanent Toys "R" Us Outlet locations across the country, many of which were successful Express stores during previous holiday seasons. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of a customer buying toys online and picking them up at the actual Toys "R" Us store.) Geoffrey (voiceover): In 2010, Toys "R" Us launched "Buy Online, Pick Up In Store," at "R" Us stores across the U.S., embarking on omnichannel strategy to create a seamless in-store and online shopping experience for customers. (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of Geoffrey the Giraffe meeting and greeting the customers.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Also in that year, AOL’s WalletPop named me one of the “Top 25 Mascots of All Time”. (The scene fades to the FAO Schwartz store in New York City.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Oh, by the way, about FAO Schwartz, the store that Toys "R" Us acquired, well, in 2011, FAO Schwartz celebrated its 150th anniversary as the country’s oldest toy store. (The scene fades to a Toys "R" Us store in China.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Also in 2011, Toys "R" Us, Inc. formed a joint venture with Li & Fung Retailing for the Toys "R" Us business in Southeast Asia and Greater China, acquiring a majority stake in its previously licensed business. With this agreement, Toys "R" Us, Inc. assumed ownership and oversight of 90 existing Toys "R" Us stores in Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. Toys "R" Us continued expansion in China with the opening of its first stores in Beijing, while also introducing international shipping for online orders on Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.com to more than 60 countries. The company also strengthened global e-commerce capabilities with the launch of a dedicated web store, Toysrus.com.cn, in China. (The scene fades to hand-drawn animated sequences of Antonio Urcelay entering the Toys "R" Us Headquarters building where he becomes its new chairman and CEO, Toys "R" Us embarking on a "TRU Transformation" strategy, and David Brandon entering the Toys "R" Us Headquarters building where he becomes its new chairman and CEO.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Antonio Urcelay became the new chairman and CEO of Toys "R" Us in 2013. In 2014, Toys "R" Us embarked on a “TRU Transformation” strategy to position the company for sustainable long-term growth. In doing so, the company expanded global e-commerce and mobile presence with the launch of the web store, Toysrus.pl, and the mobile-optimized website in Poland. In 2015, David Brandon became the new chairman and CEO of Toys "R" Us. Part 5: Financial Trouble for Toys "R" Us/The Actual Movie Begins (The scene fades to a hand-drawn animated sequence of the Toys "R" Us store building worrying about being bankrupt.) Geoffrey (voiceover): Everything is fine at Toys "R" Us, until September 2017, when the entire company was filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States and in Canada, in an attempt to renegotiate nearly $5 million in loan debt, burden that had been placed upon them during and since the buyout, money that could have been spent on inventory or infrastructure on technology and on investments in people. Toys "R" Us was caught in a cycle of decreasing profits due to a continually changing marketplace without the ability to adapt to or invest in new technologies or new products, because every nickel they earned was being used to pay off the debts they incurred when they were forced by an outside entity to purchase themselves. They have stated their stores will continue to operate, but nevertheless announced the liquidation and closure of 382 locations, at least half of these Babies "R" Us locations. Liquidation sale events are likely expected to occur in additional Toys "R" Us stores. (The Toys "R" Us store building then gets worried about being shut down by the company's employees and lawyers.) Geoffrey (voiceover): On March 2018, it was announced that Toys "R" Us is officially going out of business and selling all 800 of its U.S. stores. In addition, all Toys "R" Us stores worldwide would be sold off, and then after that, Toys "R" Us will soon be defunct, and it will never be seen or heard from again... ever. (The segment of Toys "R" Us's history ends and the camera pans to Geoffrey and Giraffe and Michael the Lego Minifigure at the theater.) Geoffrey: So, today, I will show you the movie that will predict the future for Toys "R" Us. Michael: Um, Geoffrey, I hate to ruin your geology lesson, but do you think we can get on with the story? Geoffrey: Why? Michael: I'm telling you to start the actual movie based on Toys "R" Us, because so far, I think the audience is starting to fall asleep. Geoffrey: Well, it looks like you got a great point. Nobody wants to sit during a geology lesson about the history of our greatest store. Michael: Maybe we should tell them about you and what you do at the whole store. Geoffrey: Sure, good idea! (The scene fades to black.) Text: Present day More coming soon! Category:Transcripts Category:Movie Transcripts Category:Toys R Us